


Once Upon A Time

by your_royal_blondeness



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Married Cresswell, Post-Canon, cresswell, sorta short sorry, telling bedtime stories to their kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 14:04:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13812729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_royal_blondeness/pseuds/your_royal_blondeness
Summary: Cress and Thorne's daughter requests a bedtime story, and Thorne knows just the one to tell. Post-canon, married Cresswell and their kids!





	Once Upon A Time

“Carswell?”

Thorne turned toward Cress’s voice, setting his portscreen on the couch next to him. She was standing in the doorway, pointing a finger down the hall. “Cel wants a bedtime story from her father,” she told him, smiling. 

He grinned. “Of course.” Standing up, he offered Cress his arm and she took it, pressing a kiss to his neck. She couldn’t kiss his cheek unless he bent down so she could reach. 

“She says she won’t go to sleep until you tell her a story. I hope you’re awake enough do that.” 

Thorne laughed. “I always have time for my daughter. For both of my daughters.” He wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders and squeezed her against his side. “And I know just the story to tell.”

When they reached their younger daughter’s room, Celena perked up when she spotted her parents. “Daddy! I told Mommy that I wanted you to tell me a story! And I won’t sleep if I don’t get a story.”

Thorne chuckled and placed a hand on his six-year-old’s forehead. “Of course, sweetheart. I have the perfect story for you, full of princesses and fairy tales.”

Celena gasped, eyes wide. “Can it have a unicorn too?”

Thorne considered, tapping his chin. “Sorry, sweetheart, but this story doesn’t have any unicorns. Maybe tomorrow night.”

“Okay.” Celena pulled the covers up to her chin, getting comfortable. 

“Once upon a time,” Thorne began, glancing at Cress behind him, “there was a beautiful young maiden who lived high up near the stars.”

Cress knelt at her daughter’s bed, immediately knowing which story Thorne was going to tell. She had heard it once before, when their older daughter had asked for a bedtime story.

“The young maiden was lonely, however, and every night she dreamed that a prince would rescue her.”

Thorne wrapped an arm around Cress’s shoulders and she grinned at him. 

“There was an evil witch that held the maiden captive,” he continued, “and she would not let the maiden leave her home in the stars. One day, a man came to rescue the maiden, and she was immediately in love. However, the witch was not happy. She blinded the man and banished him and the maiden to a desert, where they wandered for many days.”

“Was the man a prince?” Celena asked hopefully. 

“Not exactly,” Thorne replied. “He was actually a spaceship captain. But the man was a prince in the maiden’s eyes,” he added, winking at Cress.

“Ohhh,” Celena whispered. 

“The desert was harsh and unforgiving, and the maiden was scared. But she was strong, and she did not once give up. She led the man through the desert, as his eyes, and soon they reached a village.

“They were greeted with open arms, but there were still more evil people to face. An evil man and woman plotted to distract the man who had saved the maiden and kidnap the girl. When the man realized the maiden was gone, he ventured out to find her.”

Celena gasped again. “Did he find her?”

“After many days of walking, the man came across another village, only to find that the maiden had escaped her captors. They rejoiced in finding each other, and the man realized he was in love.”

Cress rested her head on Thorne’s shoulder at his words, and his arm slid around her waist, hugging her tight. 

“He was afraid of being in love, though, and so he did not tell the maiden.” Celena’s brow furrowed, but she stayed silent. “So, the man took the maiden to his friends, ones that he cared for a great deal and trusted deeply. They all welcomed the maiden, and made sure she felt at home. 

“One of the man’s friends was a young woman who had been treated badly her whole life. She had only just found out that she was a princess from the moon, and she wanted to save the world from her evil aunt, the queen. So, along with the man, his friends, and the maiden, the princess started a revolution.”

“What’s a revolution?” Celena asked. 

“A revolution is when someone disagrees with a government and so they plan to start a new one.”

“So the princess wanted to start a revolution so the evil queen could not hurt anyone?”

“Yes,” Thorne replied. “Revolutions are not easy, though, and the princess found that she needed to work harder than she ever had. Her friends were constantly in danger, and at one point, the maiden was left behind by accident.

“She was scared, of course, but the maiden was very brave and decided to help her friends from afar. She knew how to use a netscreen and portscreen to get information and stop information from flowing, which the evil witch she ran from had taught her for evil purposes. The maiden was good, though, and she decided to use her skills to help the princess regain her throne. 

“She turned off security cameras and opened gates for her friends, and they made it safely around the moon. In the palace, where the maiden was hiding, there were good people as well as bad. There was another princess of the moon, one that had grown up there, and she and her friend helped the maiden reunite with her friends. When the man saw the maiden again, he was so happy to see her that he couldn’t believe his eyes. The maiden was also overjoyed to see him, and they hugged for a long time.”

Thorne poked his wife in the side playfully, and she rolled her eyes. 

“The maiden and the man were very much in love with each other, but they wouldn’t admit it. The man thought he wasn’t good enough for the beautiful, smart, and brave maiden, and the maiden believed that the man would never love her back. 

“And so, they continued on with the princess who wanted to save the people of the moon from the evil queen. There were battles and many lives were lost. The maiden was gravely injured, and the man feared for her life. For days he watched her peaceful face, hoping her eyes would open again.”

Thorne felt Cress’s gaze on him, and he gave her waist another squeeze. 

He knew just how painful the memories of the revolution were for both of them, but he knew the scars were healing. Soon, it would all be a distant memory. 

“In the end, however, the evil queen and her minions, including the witch that locked the maiden up, were defeated, and the people of the earth and the moon were at peace once more. They were no longer afraid of being ruled unfairly. 

“And when peace was restored, the maiden awoke and the man and the maiden gathered up their courage and professed their love for each other. It was true love, and the two lived happily ever after.”

“Wow,” Celena breathed. “Can I hear the story again tomorrow night?”

Thorne chuckled. “Of course. And maybe we can see if your sister wants to join us. She heard this story when she was your age too, you know.”

“Yes! We can have a family story night.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, sweetheart.” Cress kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Now go to sleep, my maiden.”

Celena giggled and closed her eyes. “Good night, Mommy and Daddy.”

“Good night,” Thorne and Cress whispered in unison, and stepped back to turn off the light. 

“I heard Daddy telling Cel your story.”

The couple whipped around to face their nine-year-old daughter, who was standing in the doorway, a huge smile on her face. 

“We were,” Thorne admitted. “But don’t tell your sister that it’s a true story.”

“It is?” Celena was sitting up now, sleep forgotten. 

Thorne gasped dramatically. “Now she knows!”

Cress shook her head, laughing. “Captain!” She slapped her husband’s arm playfully. “He’s joking, Sahara.”

“I know.” Sahara turned the light back on and went over to her little sister’s bed. “The story you heard was about Mommy and Daddy when they were younger! Mommy was the beautiful maiden and Daddy was the spaceship captain.”

Celena blinked slowly. “Is that why Mommy calls Daddy Captain?”

Thorne grinned. “Yes, sweetheart. She hasn’t given up on that nickname.”

“And is the rest of it real?”

This time Sahara replied. “Yeah! The princess is Aunt Cinder, and Mommy and Daddy’s friends are the rest of our aunts and uncles. They’re not actually related to us, though. But they’re still family.”

Celena nodded, transfixed by the new information. “And Mommy and Daddy were in love for a long time but didn’t tell each other?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Thorne said. “But in the end, we told each other and now we’re living happily ever after. Plus, the Rampion is still our home, right?”

“Woah.” Celena laid back down. “We can hear the story again tomorrow night, right?”

“Of course,” Cress promised. “Now go to sleep, both of you.”

“Yes Mommy,” the girls responded, and Sahara slipped out of the room.

Thorne and Cress closed the door to Celena’s room and stood in silence for a moment, before making their way back to the living room. 

“I knew you’d tell her that story someday,” Cress murmured when the two of them were seated comfortably on the couch in the galley. “It’s important that our kids are aware that we were, and still are, revolutionaries and celebrities.”

“I agree.” Thorne lifted his gaze out the window, gazing at the starry sky. “And when they’re older, we can tell them the whole story.”

Cress chuckled. “Maybe. I don’t know if they’d want to hear all of it, though. Some parts are kind of dark, and sad, and others are...lovey-dovey.”

Thorne turned back to his wife, raising an eyebrow. “You mean like in the atrium at the palace and in your room after the revolution?”

“Yeah,” she replied, cheeks flushing slightly. “Don’t kids usually get grossed out by kissing and stuff?”

“Maybe,” Thorne replied. “They both seemed to enjoy the romantic, princess and prince aspect of the story.”

“True,” Cress whispered, eyes already closing. She yawned loudly, resting her head on Thorne’s shoulder. “Good night.”

Thorne laughed, kissing Cress’s temple. “Shouldn’t we go to bed? Unless you want to sleep on the couch.”

Cress didn’t reply. Thorne sighed, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth, and he tucked his arms under Cress’s body, lifting her up. She inhaled sharply, but curled her arms around Thorne’s neck and let him carry her. 

“It’s a miracle I can still carry you,” he whispered. “You’re still as light as ever, though.”

Thorne stood in the center of the galley, holding his wife in his arms and looking out the cockpit window at the array of stars. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would ever get to experience all that he had with Cress. Pain, sorrow, heartbreak, and loss, sure. But also friendship, love, and family. 

He wouldn’t trade it for anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Cress and Thorne name their first daughter Sahara after the desert in which they survived together, and their second Celena, which is Greek for "the moon". Celena is sort of a play on Selene, and a name that relates to Cress's Lunar heritage. It's also a name starting with a C, like Cress and Carswell.  
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Feedback and kudos are greatly appreciated.


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